


Nihil Obstat

by kopfkino



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Memory Loss, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-19 10:58:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7358479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kopfkino/pseuds/kopfkino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Research had to be far more interesting than following some memory-less maniac across the Mojave, right? Arcade thinks so, but then again, this is Six we're talking about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nihil Obstat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Masu_Trout](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Masu_Trout/gifts).



"Wait, wait, wait a second. What's going on? Am I playing Virgil to your Dante?"

He watches Six take a look at his ammo, before the Courier gives him a confused look.

"I'd like to assume that we're tiptoeing into the mouth of hell out of academic curiosity, but I'm not so open-minded that I've lost my brains." 

Their tracking of Benny has lead them here, to Caesar's fort. Even though Six has a way of getting himself out of the trouble he finds (usually with a gun or dynamite), Arcade is rather concerned with walking into a camp full of dedicated worshippers. 

"Benny is in here." He replies, half ashamed, half determined.

What is it about Six?

When they met, Six asking for help, he was hesitant about joining him. Research had to be far more interesting than following some memory-less maniac across the Mojave, right? Yet now here he found himself crossing the river to meet Caesar. _I have unfinished business with him._ Six had told Arcade when they entered the Tops casino, looking for the checkered suit man. 

"I can't say I understand your obsession, but for that I suppose I'd have to spend a night in your grave." 

Unfinished business was quite the understatement. It translated to a bullet to Six' head, and leaving him for dead. Benny's eyes grew wide like he'd seen a ghost the moment Six had stepped into his Casino.  _You're supposed to be dead._ He finds himself wondering if Six has always been this wild, or if it's just the amnesia. It must be awful not to even remember one's past. Arcade is personally haunted by his past.

Six' eyes fall from Arcade, and into the distance. Their destination is growing closer, and a sudden pitch of pity hits him. 

"Fine. I'll stick with you, just... be careful, if we travel at Caesar's pleasure, he may not let us out as easily as he lets us in." 

A hum confirms that Six has in fact considered this. Sometimes he can be really mysterious and Arcade wonders if that's why he can't pull away.

"It's from the Divine Comedy by the way, Virgil the Poet, showing Dante the Warrior the path through hell," Arcade tries to explain, as a failed attempt to calm himself down. Six nods. 

 

It doesn't take too long for Six to come back from the tent. Arcade shouldn't  _really_  be surprised of the Roman soldiers that follow him with knives and guns. The pair find themselves rushing down the hills as arrows and gunshot fire behind them.

"What happen--?!" Arcade tries but doesn't finish. 

Six takes a step back before they reach the boat and kills a soldier with a single gunshot to the head. He's never understood how Six manages to have such perfect accuracy, even if he claims it's all thanks to his pip-boy and Vault-Tec, something about a thing called VATS?   

"Get the boat ready!" Six shouts, and Arcade obeys, jumps to the ropes and starts to untie them. 

As clever and talented his friend is, Arcade can't help but worry for a possible future where he'll run out of luck. Such a reckless behaviour was bound to backfire at some point. He'll play his cards and instead of winning the jackpot, he'll be ripped by the house like a fool would back in the strip.

The thought alone scares him more than it should. 

Which is exactly why when he turns to Six ready to yell, his heart drops. Between the lost bullets and the sound of gunshots, a scout has found his way and he's aiming right to his chest. Arcade tries to warn him, but his words aren't fast enough, as the gun fires and it goes straight at Six. He almost misses the arching pain coming from his right leg. His head turns down, and there's blood. Oh boy. His head doesn't want to admit how bad it actually looks.

He tries to take a step forward, but it's not long until his leg isn't strong enough. His weight is heavier and he tumbles down. The most important consequence is the loss of visual contact with the Courier. No, he can't lose Six. Arcade makes an effort, and tries to find him, except he's not there anymore, and the scout is on the ground. He blinks and he counts two dead scouts. Is his vision is getting blurry?

"Si-Six--" 

Suddenly there's a touch, a grip on his lower rib. He's not sure what's going on anymore, as there are a lot of images and sounds fading away from him. Arcade decides to focus on the warmness of the touch instead. It doesn't leave when his back touches the floor. Slowly the gunshots fade away, and he can feel something rock him gently underneath. From where he's lying, he can see the clouds. Has the sky always been this blue? He's not sure. The only thing he can really think of is the touch. There's a whisper, a whimper coming from above him.  _Stay with me_. He tries to focus on the silhouette, but the harder he tries, the blurrier it gets. He thinks he hears someone yell his name, but he's not sure, then it all goes black. 

 

Flashbacks of his mother, of the Enclave pass before him. His father leaving on a mission he would never return from. The words to stop him are on the edge of his throat, but he can't say them. It all fades into a heavy blurred cloud. There's nothing to see. Nothing to hear. He can only feel his body, heavy as he's ever imagined it. There's quiet around him, except maybe the few clicking of feet. All he can do is lie still, until his throat get heavy and he has the urge to cough. It burns, and for a second Arcade wonders if he's dying, if he's dead, when a familiar touch falls on his chest. 

It rests there softly, helping him breathe, in and out and Arcade finds the strength to open his eyes. He can only distinct Six's eyes in a blur above him. They're grey, but always manage to convey so much. 

"Take it easy, Doc." 

His voice sounds foreign, and it's a tone colder than it usually is. He blinks to take better look at the Courier, but there's it's useless without his glasses. If he didn't know better, he'd say he's worried, then again, how does Six look like when he's worried? He makes an effort, clears his throat. It comes out as a whisper. 

"What happened?"

Six pulls away, and Arcade fights the urge to whimper at the loss of his touch. Instead, he tries to sit up with the help of his elbows. An unprecedented pain shoots from the lower part of his abdomen.

"Ah-" He shrinks back into his original position, regretting ever moving. 

"Don't move." Six's voice warns, from a distance. He walks back to the bed Arcade is laying on, hands him his glasses and a piece of bread. 

"Should be rad-free." 

He takes a bite, and he thinks he sees a satisfied smile on Six's face. Now that Arcade has his glasses on, he can see the condition the room is in. It looks abandoned, with light coming in from the cracks on the wall. There's Six's guns on the counter and a bottle of Whiskey. 

"Where are we?" 

"Close to Novac. You were out for 3 days." 

"Ah." Arcade takes a minute to process the information, as he just stares down. 

"I let Benny go."

Benny? It hits Arcade like a truck, memories of them running down the hills, running away from Caesar's legion. Most importantly, that scout threatening Six. He jumps to check on him, and hurts himself with the movement. "Are you- ouch, are you-"  

Six stops him, and soothes him back into the bed. 

"I'm alright, I'm alright." 

"I saw you getting shot," He mumbles, and this time Six doesn't let him go. He leans over him and drops a kiss on his forehead. He mumbles something about how he needs to relax. Arcade can feel his heartbeat speeding up, and can't say another word when the Courier lifts his head, and leaves his fingers, playfully messing with his blond hair. 

"He missed." He shrugs, "You on the other hand, got... the worst out of it. Your right thigh and your stomach, well, not the stomach, but lower." 

"You patched me up?"

"Barely," He takes a bite of his own bread with his free hand. "I guess I must have known some medical stuff before Benny blew my memory out. I somehow knew how to stop the bleeding." 

Arcade sighs, ignoring the pain completely paying more attention to the fingers on his hair. He thinks about what Six told him.

"You let Benny go?" This time Six laughs softly, and Arcade continues, confused. "I thought you wanted the guy dead, you know, revenge."

"Well, I realised I didn't want his blood on my hands, plus, I got the damn platinum chip back, which is what matters. I think we can do some crazy stuff with it."

The touch makes him drowsier than it should. He's even considering continuing this conversation later as he's ready to drift to sleep. Six takes a long silence until he removes his hands back to himself. Arcade opens one of his eyes, wondering what made him stop. 

"I'm sorry."  

He doesn't think he's ever seen Six like this. It's enough to open both of his eyes, and give the courier a slight risen eyebrow. "For the shots? I've gotten worse, when you work with the followers you've got to--"

"No." 

"get ready for--" His voice trails off.

Another silence. "I haven't been honest with you." 

Arcade tries to move again, this time deciding to deal with the pain. He manages to sit up, resting his back against the wall. He notices Six is biting his lower lip, and wonders if he does that when he's nervous, or anxious. 

"I haven't been honest about my feelings." 

He could have expected anything but the word 'feelings' to come out of Six's mouth. He's about to shake his head when Six starts.

"You were losing a lot of blood, back there. All because of me, and I thought I'd lose you. I was terrified, and it's been a while since I felt so scared of something. In fact, it's been a while since I've felt anything at all." 

Head injuries aren't a light topic, and it's no surprise that beyond the memory loss, Six has had some issues working around with his emotions. 

"It's normal to feel like that, a brain injury can change the way people feel or express emotions. Some people may experience them very quickly and intensely but with very little lasting effect. For example, you may get angry easily but get over it quickly. Some other people struggle with them, and may find it difficult to express their emotion-"

"Arcade." 

The mention of his name is enough to make him go back to the topic at hand. He awkwardly nods, acknowledging it. Six sighs.

"I have-- I care about you." 

It drops like a bomb, and Arcade needs a moment. His gaze moves to the guns behind Six, processing what the Courier has just let out. A warm feeling crosses his chest. He'd be lying if he said he didn't ever think of Six in that way. At the beginning, he'd find himself staring a bit longer than appropriate at the younger man. The mysterious lone survivor trope had gotten under his skin in a way he didn't want to admit. Even so, he never once thought those feelings could be mutual. 

If he could move painlessly, he would. He'd touch Six to reassure him, comfort him somehow. He settles for the view he has, as Six ruffles his own brown hair trying to make this easier.

"Me too--" 

"I know." He shrugs. "You're kinda obvious about it. That's not the problem." 

"Well," He mildly tries, unaware his feelings were so easy to read and suppressing the blush on his cheeks. He hopes it's just that Six has a wonderful perception and that not everyone else in the Mojave has noticed. "Then what is it?" 

Six finishes. "It's not fair to you." 

Fair? What does fairness have to do with anything? They live in a wasteland that is anything but fair. He tries to continue the thought, but Six stands and leaves towards the counter. He looks out the window and sighs. "You don't get to decide that." Arcade lets out, and it's true. 

He swears Six smiles, but the only thing he can see is the back of his head. "The closest thing I have to an identity is Dante."

Arcade can't hide both the surprise and satisfaction that Six actually pays attention to his literature references. "You're so much more than that."

To those words, Six turns to him, and after a few steps, sits on the bed, in front of him. There's barely any space between them, and Arcade takes the opportunity to cup his cheek, leaving Six defenseless. He even dares to look at his lips, who have never looked more tempting.

"Besides, that's not important, what matters is that I care about you too," 

Six's upper lip curls a bit, enough to make out the small smile, and the Courier closes the gap between them. It's good, and Arcade manages to forget about his injuries and everything else for a moment. His hand move to Six's sides and pull his body a bit closer. It's too close however, and Six pulls away the second Arcade whimpers against his lips. 

"It's fine-" The Doctor tries, clearly enjoying himself. 

"I don't even know who I am." Six explains, droping the hands from the Doctor's cheeks now. "You deserve someone with a past, someone who... fuck, someone who has a name." It comes out as a whisper, as if it would make it any less true. 

"A name?" 

"Six isn't my name, truth is... I don't remember it." 

He thinks he should have guessed that, but a part of Arcade simply thought that Six didn't want to share his real name. 

"We'll find who you are together." His fingertips caress his skin softly, almost tempting Six to kiss him again. It's working, as he feels the Courier's weight on him again slowly (carefully not leaning over the wounds). "I don't care. I like what I know about you so far." 

"What if I turn out to be a psychotic murderer?" 

"Well from what I've seen--" He starts, and Six gives in an honest laugh. With that, their lips are together again, this time deepening the kiss and fully enjoying each other. It's only so much they can have until Arcade has to pull away, whimpering about his his lower abdomen again. 

"Looks like the sexy doctor needed someone to patch him up in the wasteland this time." Six observes, before a beeping interrupts them. 

"Not your rob-" Arcade already whines, which leads Six to laugh openly. When the bot lets an annoyed beep out, Six gets up and pats him. "Don't worry ED-E, he's just crankier than usual because he's sick." 

Arcade rolls his eyes, but can't hide the smile twitching on his face. Six stands up and runs his hand through his hair. "I'm going to go get some more food, considering you need to heal." 

He quickly equips his weapons, and puts on the characteristic hat. He turns to ED-E. "Try not to kill each other while I'm gone?" The bot makes an affirmative beep, which is enough for the Courier. 

When he's at the door, he pauses and leans back enough for Arcade to see him properly. "Just so you know, uh, I _really_ like what I know about you so far too, Doc." 

With that he's gone, and Arcade ignores the happy beeps coming from the eye-bot above him.

"We'll find out who you are Six, I promise."

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> "nihil obstat" translates to nothing is an obstacle :-)


End file.
